The Gleim CIA Exam Blog is proud to welcome accountant James B., a recurring blogger. James has eight years of audit experience and is pursuing the CIA certification to further his career.
I hope that everyone out there had a wonderful weekend. I love spending time with family. Unfortunately, with family comes time commitments that take away from other things. With our guests last week, I was only able to get in about two hours of actual uninterrupted study time. Although I got in less time than I had hoped for, I was able to make good headway on the last study unit. This week, barring any unforeseen interruptions, I will finish Part 1 and start going over the material as a whole in preparation for my exam date, which I will schedule once I complete the material.
This process has taken me a little longer than I had expected. I was hoping for a four week study period. Unfortunately, I was a little delayed, but I am glad that I spent the extra time. Although, I was familiar with the material the CIA material really challenged me, and I do feel more prepared this time around.
The biggest difference that I have found between Gleim products and the materials that I used in the past is the balanced approach between lessons and quizzes. I feel that the other materials were unstructured and focused on testing and learning answers to questions instead of learning concepts. As for the book, I really love the fact that Gleim tries to break down the CIA material into easily digested tidbits that drive conceptual understanding. While this experience has been challenging, I feel that I am better prepared now than ever before.